Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a method of controlling a button symbol of an inside mirror. More particularly, it relates to a method of controlling a button symbol of an inside mirror which is capable of solving visual interference due to the glare of a symbol light during night driving while increasing visibility of a button location, button operability, and daytime and night visibility of the button symbol in a frameless inside mirror.
Description of Related Art
In general, an inside mirror of a vehicle, which is installed on an upper end of a windshield between a driver seat and a passenger seat, is used to secure a rear view. Recently, as vehicles have gotten more luxurious, various functions and device modules for convenience have been embedded in the inside mirror beyond a simple mirror function.
Representative functional devices include an ECM (Electronic Chromic Mirror) that automatically adjusts reflection of light from the mirror to prevent a driver from being dazzled by the headlights from other vehicles, an ETCS (Electronic Toll Collection System) that automatically collects tolls at the tollgate of an expressway, and as display function that displays various kinds of information.
In addition, there is a home link system for closing/opening the garage door of a house, which is applied to a vehicle in North America.
The related arts to the inside mirror for a vehicle described above are disclosed in Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-0078721 (Jul. 7, 2011), Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-0123435 (Nov. 24, 2010), Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-0120022 (Dec. 22, 2005) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-264726 (Sep. 18, 2002).
Meanwhile, the inside mirror includes operation buttons which are operated by a driver to allow several convenience devices as well as the above described convenience device to be operated.
The operation buttons installed to the inside mirror include buttons related to ETCS, telematics and a home link system, and in addition, the operation buttons include an operation button related to an ECM function (ECM power button).
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a conventional inside mirror having operation buttons, where reference number 12 denotes a mirror glass of the inside mirror 10. As shown in FIG. 1, when the inside mirror is seen from the front thereof, a plurality of operation buttons 13, on which symbols are denoted, is installed on a front low end of a mirror housing 11 constituting a rim of a mirror. Lighting means for lighting the symbols may be embedded in the operation buttons 13.
In case of the mirror shown in FIG. 1, a rim (which is a frame formed by a mirror housing) of the mirror 10 has a large width. Specifically, since a portion of the rim, in which the operation buttons 13 are installed, has a very large width, the sight area of the mirror for securing a rear view is reduced as much as it.
To improve the above, there has been developed and applied a frameless inside mirror. FIGS. 2A and 2B are views showing a frameless inside mirror. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, according to the frameless inside mirror 10, a mirror front surface is finished only with a mirror glass 12 so that a rim having a large width formed by the mirror housing 11 does not exist, and the operation buttons 13 are arranged in a lower portion of the mirror housing 11.
In case of the frameless inside mirror 10, since the mirror front surface is finished only with a mirror glass 12, so that it is difficult to install the operation buttons 13 on the mirror front surface, the operation buttons 13 are arranged in a lower portion of the mirror housing 11.
However, in this case, it is difficult for a driver to find out a desired button for operation. To solve the above problem, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, symbols (or, referred to as ‘icons’) 14 for denoting each position of the operation buttons 13 are additionally arranged on a lower end of the front surface of the mirror glass 12.
However, a light means including an LED 15 is installed at the inside of the mirror glass 12 in the rear of the symbols such that the symbols are lighted to be displayed. When the button symbol 14 is placed on the surface of the mirror glass 12, due to the glare of the symbol light (which is always turned on) during nighttime, the sight of a driver is interrupted. That is, when a driver confirms a rear object through a mirror, the symbol light is first seen, so that the security of sight is interrupted.
In addition, operation buttons of a touch screen type are installed on a low end of a front surface of a mirror glass. In this case, since a touch screen portion is always placed on a lower end portion of the mirror, a sight surface area of the mirror is reduced as large as that of the touch screen.
The information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.